OFF-LOADING PRESSURE RELIEF WITH FOAM CUT OUT CUSHIONS: EXPERIENCES FROM RANCHO LOS AMIGOS NATIONAL REHABILITATION CENTER.

This paper explores the efficacy of the cushion fitting technique using foam cut out cushions for off-loading bony prominences in the sitting position, with a particular focus on reducing the high risk of developing pressure injuries among aging wheelchair users. This technique, historically employed at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, has shown promising results in reducing pressure injuries for patients with spinal cord injuries. However, its widespread adoption remains limited.

Reaction Force Generation and Mechanical Demand Imposed on the Shoulder When Initiating Manual Wheelchair Propulsion and at Self-Selected Fast Speeds.

Manual wheelchair (WC) users with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience shoulder pain and fatigue associated with their increased reliance on the upper extremity during activities of daily living (Bayley et al. 1987, "The Weight-Bearing Shoulder. The Impingement Syndrome in Paraplegics," J.

Design and Evaluation of the Kinect-Wheelchair Interface Controlled (KWIC) Smart Wheelchair for Pediatric Powered Mobility Training.

Background: Children with severe disabilities are sometimes unable to access powered mobility training. Thus, we developed the Kinect-Wheelchair Interface Controlled (KWIC) smart wheelchair trainer that converts a manual wheelchair into a powered wheelchair. The KWIC Trainer uses computer vision to create a virtual tether with adaptive shared-control between the wheelchair and a therapist during training.

Evidence-Based Strategies for Preserving Mobility for Elderly and Aging Manual Wheelchair Users.

Elderly and aging manual wheelchair (MWC) users have increased risk for accelerated loss of function and mobility that greatly limits independence and affects quality of life. This review paper addresses important issues for preserving function and mobility for elderly and aging individuals who use a MWC by presenting the current available evidence and recommendations. These include recommendations for maximizing function, by decreasing pain, improving the ability to self-propel, and prolonging mobility and endurance through ergonomics, individualized wheelchair selection and configuration, and adaptations for increasing the capacity to handle the daily mobility demands through training, strengthening, and exercise.

The positive effects of early powered mobility on children's psychosocial and play skills.

Powered mobility can have an important cognitive and psychosocial impact on young children who are unable to move independently. Twenty-three children with physical disabilities between the ages of 18 months and 6 years participated in this study. Data evaluating social skills, frequency of mobility play activities, frequency of interaction with toys/objects, and play/verbal developmental levels were collected at wheelchair evaluation, wheelchair delivery, and approximately 6 months later.

The impact of early powered mobility on parental stress, negative emotions, and family social interactions.

Powered mobility has been found to have positive effects on young children with severe physical disabilities, but the impact on the family has been less well documented. We evaluated the impact of early powered mobility on parental stress, negative emotions, perceived social interactions, and parental satisfaction with wheelchair characteristics such as size and durability. The participants were parents of 23 children with disabilities-10 with orthopedic disabilities (average age 30.

A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study.

Background: Experiencing independent mobility is important for children with a severe movement disability, but learning to drive a powered wheelchair can be labor intensive, requiring hand-over-hand assistance from a skilled therapist.

Methods: To improve accessibility to training, we developed a robotic wheelchair trainer that steers itself along a course marked by a line on the floor using computer vision, haptically guiding the driver's hand in appropriate steering motions using a force feedback joystick, as the driver tries to catch a mobile robot in a game of "robot tag". This paper provides a detailed design description of the computer vision and control system.

RESNA position on the application of power wheelchairs for pediatric users.

This document, approved by the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Board of Directors in March 2007, shares typical clinical applications and provides evidence from the literature supporting the use of power wheelchairs for children.

Pediatric powered wheelchairs: results of a national survey of providers.

A national survey of providers of pediatric powered wheelchairs was conducted to collect background data on these professionals and to develop a "model" of their current assessment and recommendation practices. Data collected in the survey included provider demographics, frequency of powered wheelchair provision to young children, common reasons for not recommending a powered wheelchair, reasons why a child who is recommended a powered wheelchair does not receive one, current pediatric powered wheelchair assessment and recommendation practices, and subjective data regarding the efficacy of these practices and the impact of powered wheelchairs on children. Respondents rated the frequency with which they performed various wheelchair assessment and recommendation practices, and these ratings were analyzed to determine activities that were performed frequently.

Relevance of the Pediatric Powered Wheelchair Screening Test for children with cerebral palsy.

In a previous study we developed a cognitive assessment battery called the Pediatric Powered Wheelchair Screening Test (PPWST) to help clinicians determine a young child's readiness to drive a powered wheelchair. The current multicenter study sought to determine: (1) whether the PPWST is appropriate for use in a population of children with cerebral palsy (CP) who use joysticks to drive their wheelchair; (2) whether two additional factors (symbolic representation and coping) would increase the predictive power of the PPWST for this group and for children with orthopedic or neuromuscular disabilities only; and (3) whether the test was appropriate for children with severe motor impairments who use switches to control their wheelchair. Fifty children (27 males, 23 females) between the ages of 21 months and 6 years 11 months participated.